Finding a Family
by silverliningineachcloud
Summary: How exactly did little Kristoff and Sven end up all on their own in the woods? A short one-shot on the course of events that eventually led Kristoff to the trolls as a child.


_**Hey! I was thinking about the movie and the small bit of Kristoff's story that we get, and I thought I'd write a story about how he ended up in those woods, just him and Sven!**_

_**This story was totally out of the blue, it is a oneshot, and it's kind of random so I hope someone out there enjoys it! It was just for fun :) **_

_**Please let me know if you have any thoughts! Cause I'd love to hear them! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen!**_

* * *

"Papa! You're back!"

A small blond haired boy raced across the spring grass scattered with patches of snow to where his father was unharnessing a sled. Behind him was a small house, surrounded by woods.

"Kristoff!" the man boomed, twirling the boy in the air. "I brought you something."

He led the boy around to where a fuzzy creature was tied to the back of the sled. A baby reindeer to be exact.

"He... he's for me?" The small boy turned with wide brown eyes to look at the large man standing beside him. The large man chuckled, a deep booming noise, one giant hand ruffling the boy's hair.

"He's yours. Go ahead, say hello to him, Kristoff. And he needs a name."

"H...hello," Kristoff squeaked, reaching out one hand towards the baby reindeer. The fuzzy creature licked his hand. "Hey!" Kristoff giggled. "I'll name him... Sven!"

Sven snorted his approval, loping unsteadily on new legs to lick the little boy's face. Kristoff shrieked with laughed, reaching out to pet the reindeer.

"That's a good name, son. Come on now, let me teach you how to take care of him."

"Wait till I tell Mama!" Kristoff took his father's hand as they led the reindeer towards their small wooden house. A small stable was in the back, and together they settled the small creature in, next to their large draft horse.

"Can I use Sven for ice harvesting, just like you use Jokkum?" Kristoff glanced at the huge grey horse in the other stall, then turned to look at his father.

"Someday," his father promised. "When you and Sven are older and stronger."

"I want to come with you now."

The large man sighed and knelt before the small boy.

"The ice is a dangerous place. It has great beauty, but it does not like to be controlled. When you are older, you can battle it, but for now, your job is to grow strong and play." His large hand tilted to boy's chin up. "You listen to your papa, ya?"

"Yes Papa." Kristoff jumped into his father's offered arms, nestling against the huge man's torso.

"Now let's go tell your mama about your gift."

They headed out towards the house.

"Papa?" Kristoff turned his large brown eyes to his dad. "Thank you," he smiled. "I love Sven, I'm so glad you got him for me! I think we're going to be best friends!"

"I think you are too."

They walked to to cabin hand in hand, Kristoff skipping and laughing, unaware it would be his last night with his family.

* * *

Sometimes, things go wrong. Roofs leak, ropes break, and food catches on fire.

Sometimes houses catch on fire.

"Kristoff! Kristoff!"

Kristoff found himself being shaken awake by his father, the man's brown eyes wide and panicked.

"Papa?" Suddenly fear filled the small boy. "Papa?!" He coughed, eyes burning in the swirling smoke.

"Come on!"

Kristoff felt himself being lifted through the air. A large fiery beam crashed down right behind them.

"Erik!" A woman's scream filled the air.

"Mama!" Kristoff squirmed in his father's arms.

"Freya!" Kristoff's father turned, agony written all over his face. However, he kept going, knocking down a flaming door and carrying Kristoff out onto the cool grass. "Stay here. Do not move, I will be back with your mama."

"Papa!" Kristoff scrambled to his feet, watching his father race into the burning house, brown eyes wide with fear.

The house collapsed, flames rocketing into the sky, rubble and ash sprinkling from the sky, some of it landing in the soft blond hair of a little boy.

Kristoff waited. His papa had told him not to move. He waited until the fire had burned low, only embers left, glowing like rubies.

He waited and waited, watching the smoke billowing up and being twirled by the wind.

He waited.

And then, taking his last gift from his papa, a baby reindeer, he ran.

* * *

The ice harvesters didn't seem to mind him tagging along.

Kristoff had found them by following an old sled path, came upon a group of them on the way to hack out another harvest from the mountains. By then, his tears had all dried up, but he had nearly cried again at just seeing people.

"What's your name boy?" they had asked him.

"Kristoff Berdahl." He tried to be brave. He couldn't cry in front of these men.

The name caused a murmur.

"Erik's son."

_Papa. _Kristoff's small little face was too solemn and stony for one his age.

"Does your papa know you're here?" another asked.

Kristoff told them about the fire.

They took in his solemn appearance with new understanding.

There was a moment of silence.

"Erik was a good man."

"The boy needs to go to a woman. We can't take a child, it's dangerous!"

"My family can't take another mouth to feed," someone sighed.

"Neither can mine."

"An orphanage, maybe?"

"No! I want to be an ice harvester. Please. I have my own reindeer," Kristoff pleaded, putting an arm around Sven.

"Let the boy tag along. It'll do him better than an orphanage or servitude. We owe Erik that at least," said one man, the oldest of them all, giving Kristoff an even look, but his blue eyes sparkled slightly. At his word, the others listened and helped the boy onto the sled.

Knut, Kristoff learned, was the name of his savior. The old man was gruff but kind. On their trip up the mountain, he made Kristoff his own tiny sled.

"Don't expect us to coddle you," he had growled when Kristoff had given him a hug.

And they didn't. The ice harvesters basically ignored the small boy, occasionally offering words of advice or passing him part of their meal to make sure he had enough to eat. But they were never unkind, and he sometimes found unexpected gifts, such as a new little hat, or warmer boots lined with rabbit fur.

And even though it might not have been the most suitable place for a young boy, at least he had a place he belonged. And he had Sven.

They ate together, slept together, and worked together until Kristoff could swear he and the reindeer understood each other.

Not only was the reindeer the only thing Kristoff had left from his family, Sven _was_ family.

* * *

"Uhh, c'mon Sven! We're getting left behind!" Kristoff urged the reindeer on, sitting proudly on his hunk of ice.

Sven snorted.

"I know, we get left behind every time. But this time, look at this ice we've got! It's a beauty!" Kristoff grinned, copying the language he heard the other ice harvesters use, hopping off the sled to give the still very young reindeer a lighter load.

The small boy surveyed the small block of ice proudly, his brown eyes lighting up.

Sven let out a small lowing noise, hooves scrambling to get traction on the icy track.

"Let me help... ooof!" They got the tiny sled moving again, and as it began to speed up, Kristoff jumped back on. They were just about to cross a main road when suddenly two horses went racing by.

"Whoa!" Kristoff pulled back Sven. Suddenly a glimmering in the moonlight caught his eye. "Ice?!" His brown eyes widened and he looked up to watch the two horses disappear, one creating a trail of frozen grass. "That's gotta be magic," he gasped, quickly unharnessing Sven from the tiny sled, prized piece of ice sitting upon it forgotten. He mounted the small creature. "Faster Sven!" They loped and lurched down the path until finally they arrived at a large circle filled with boulders.

Together they crept to the edge of the circle, Kristoff tackling Sven when the curious reindeer tried to keep going.

Kristoff watched the tall man address the rocks.

"Please, my daughter..."

The stones began to rumble, shaking and moving. And suddenly their true forms were revealed.

"It's the king."

"The king!"

"The king has come here." the rock creatures murmured.

"Trolls," Kristoff whispered, brown eyes huge.

Suddenly the rock he was leaning on began to move.

"Aahhh," Kristoff jumped back.

"Shhh. I'm trying to _listen._" The troll told him

Sven licked the side of her face.

"Cuties," the female troll smiled, pulling Kristoff's cheek against hers, as well as Sven's, making them smile. "I'm gonna keep ya."

They watched the rest of the events in the opening silently, Kristoff observing the small red haired girl and white haired girl carefully. The tiny girl wrapped in the blanket seemed to be hurt, a streak of white standing out in her bright hair, but the oldest troll was healing her or _something_... Maybe just talking to them? With magical flashy lights?

Carefully he stored what he had seen in the back of his mind. Even after the small family had left, taking their two girls with them, in the excitement of meeting all the trolls and being fed and coddled and playing with the little baby rock trolls, he did not forget.

Little did he know that he would see the two girls again. And they, one in particular, would become rather important to him.

But they had already made a huge difference in his life; they had inadvertently led him to his new family.

* * *

_**Hope you enjoyed that! Feel free to leave any comments or thoughts! :)**_

_**I'd love to hear what you thought!**_


End file.
